AMD Releases Opteron 6100 Series Processors For Server Market

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AMD on Monday launched several 12-core and 8-core server processors under its Opteron 6100 Series product family through its OEM and system builder partners.

AMD said the Opteron 6100 chips address low-power consumption requirements and target SMBs, public sector and enterprise users with a strong value proposition in terms of performance-per-price.

AMD's Opteron 6132 HE chip includes 8 cores running at 2.2 GHz with a 65 watt thermal design point (TDP), while the Opteron 6140 includes 8 cores running at 2.6 GHz with an 80 watt TDP. Among the new 12-core Opteron processors, AMD's Opteron 6166 HE runs at a frequency of 1.8 GHz and a 65 watt TDP, the Opteron 6176 runs at 2.3 GHz and an 80 watt TDP, and the Opteron 6180 SE runs at 2.5 GHz and a 105 watt TDP.

AMD said its OEM partners in the server space -- including Acer, Dell, and HP -- will launch new and refreshed systems featuring Opteron 6100 chips sometime in the first quarter.

John Fruehe, director of product marketing for Servers and Workstations at AMD, on Friday spoke to CRN about opportunities AMD's Opteron server processors bring to channel resellers.

"The 12-core and 8-core Opteron chips are all going to drop into the platforms the guys in channel are buying today," Fruehe said. "If you're a VAR and you're reselling name-brand platforms like HP and Dell, all the OEMs you're purchasing from today have the ability to take advantage of these platforms. If you're on the system builder side you have products available today that are going to drop into those platforms, and it's very easy to upscale the platform you're already on today and get the same performance at the same or lower price."

Fruehe said AMD's performance in the market last year did not reflect its advantage in technology, but this year will be different as AMD's partners are all on board with its current platform.

"The last year has been a pretty tough year for us," he said. "When customers are unsure they tend to go with what they've been buying. AMD has had to go through a product transition during a tough economy, and that's a tough combination. But I don't get to control the macroeconomic conditions in the world."

In particular, AMD's market share fell 33 percent in the second quarter of 2010. However, Fruehe said AMD has dealt with the most difficult aspect of setting up its platform last year and that its competitor will have to do the same this year.

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